Photography by Alice Gao
I’ve cooked up a number of date-night meals in my life. By virtue of the fact that my now husband was one of those chronically over-worked types in our early courtship, I frequently had to whip up late-night repasts when our scheduled dinner plans got pushed back to a window way past regular restaurant serving hours. I believed the first time this happened, I “threw together” a dish of stir fried udon noodles with steak and shiitake mushrooms. Why, filet steak, it’s always something I keep in the fridge, you know, just in case…
While I never made this particular pasta dish on one of those occasions, I think it would be perfect for a romantic meal for two. Briny clams, bacon, the sweetest, freshest niblets of corn – boy, these strike me as some aphrodisiacs. And don’t forget to mention you picked up the corn that day from your favorite farmer at the local market – this is bound to score you brownie points.
A common mistake I find ingenue lovers make when preparing a meal for a beau (or belle?!), is that they think the meal should be entirely ready before the evening even begins, that any sign of culinary endeavor during the evening suggests a lack of preparation and forward planning. Oh, but no. Demonstrating your cooking prowess live in action will get those amorous juices flowing. The fantastic thing about this recipe is that you can chop, slice and mince everything in advance, so all you need do during show-time is heat up your skillet and dazzle the object of your affections with a swift 15 minutes of seamless culinary action.
And trust me, in that big ta-da moment, when you uncover the skillet to reveal a puff of aromatic steam and magically opened clams, I defy the most hardened love-sceptic not to fall at your feet in utter devotion and wonderment. Recipe after the jump…
Fettuccine with Fresh Corn, Littleneck Clams and Bacon
Serves 2
18 littleneck clams
3/4 lb. dried fettuccine
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 slices bacon, cut into thin strips
1 small shallot
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup fresh corn kernels
1/4 cup corn broth or vegetable broth (see recipe for corn broth)
Splash white wine
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs. chopped flatleaf parsley
Scrub the clams well, and set aside.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet, until al dente.
Heat 1/2 Tbs. of the olive oil in a large 10-inch skillet and fry the bacon until crisp over medium heat. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind. Set the bacon aside.
Add the shallot to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until tender and softened, then add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the white wine to the pan, increase the heat to high, bring to the boil and cook until the wine has all but completely disappeared. Pour the corn broth or vegetable stock into the skillet and return to the boil. Add the clams to the skillet, cover, and cook until the clams open up. This should take about 6 to 10 minutes – shaking the pan occasionally. Check the clams periodically after 6 minutes, removing any opened clams with a slotted spoon, then set aside.
After all the clams have opened up and have been removed from the skillet, add the cream and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to medium, throw in the corn kernels and simmer for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the corn is tender. Return the clams to the pan along with the parsley. Stir to combine everything and remove the skillet from the heat. Taste and season with plenty of black pepper and a little salt, if necessary.
Meanwhile drain the pasta once cooked, and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the sauce. If it looks a little dry add some of the pasta cooking water until nicely moistened and glistening. Serve immediately, with the bacon sprinkled over the top.
All photography in this post is by Alice Gao. For more beautiful photos, see Alice’s blog, Lingered Upon.